Friendship or Love?
by Deaire
Summary: It's 6th year. Sirius is dead. Cho Chang posses a great threat to Hermione will Harry realize his feelings for Hermione in time to come to her aid? Read to Find out! O of the P spoilers!
1. To the burrow and the mirrors!

It was a hot afternoon in Little Winging, Surrey and all of the inhabitants of Privet Drive had used the weather to spend time outside. Retreating to pools, shady trees, having barbeques or having gossiping sessions with the neighbours. The family of number four were, despite the anguish and objection of Mr. Vernon Dursley and his son Dudley out at the farewell party for Mrs Dickson ("good riddens, if you asks me!" Vernon had said) on which Mrs. Petunia Dursley had insisted ("anyone who is anyone will be there," she had said).  
So, not being ones to argue with Petunia, she, Vernon and Dudley had left for number seven.  
But there was one member of the family who had been left at home, locked away in his bedroom.  
Harry Potter was no ordinary boy; in fact he was no ordinary wizard either, he who had faced Lord Voldemort on numerous occasions.  
The now sixteen-year-old Harry lay hot and bothered on his bed just as four owls flew in through his window and landed on his bed.  
Pig, Ron's small, annoying owl zoomed around Harry's head twittering like a made thing. "Come here!" Harry grabbed the bird and took the letter from its leg.  
He opened the letter and read:  
  
Harry,  
  
Happy birthday mate, I hope you like my present it's the newest book at least you won't have to borrow it from the library. Oh mum and dad said you could come over for the rest of the summer. We had lunch with the entire Order yesterday (including Snape) it was so funny. You know my mum she force-fed them three servings each. You should've seen Snape's face! Well we'll pick you up soon, with or without the muggles' permission. Oh, Hermione's coming too, bye.  
  
Ron  
  
Harry smiled, put the letter aside and opened the present: Quidditch: A complete guide.  
He smiled wider, wrote a quick OK on the back of Ron's letter and sent Pig on his way.  
The next package was from Hermione, five expensive-looking quills with his name engraved in gold on all of them and two bottles of ink. Harry sighed, trust Hermione to give him something to help with schoolwork (last year was a homework organizer). He opened the letter and read the neat print:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Happy sixteenth birthday Harry are those muggles have been treating you right. I think you will like my gift, the ink changes colour when you write with it (so I advise you not to use it in Snape's classes, he might confiscate them.) Now, have you heard from Ron? Has he asked you to the Burrow? If not I'm sure he will. I hope those muggles will allow you to go. How are you feeling? Are you all right? Anymore dreams lately? I'm very worried about you. Anyway, picturing Snape being force-fed by Mrs. Weasley is very funny; I can just imagine the look on his face. I wonder who our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is this year; I hope they're better than Umbridge. She was so cruel! Well, see you soon Harry stay well.  
  
Hermione  
  
Harry laughed putting Hermione's letter aside. The other letters were his Hogwarts letter and one from Hagrid: The gamekeeper.  
Harry wrote Hagrid a thank you and with a smile upon his lips fell asleep.  
"Wake up boy! There is some of your kind here!" Uncle Vernon's voice awoke Harry later that night and Harry ran down stairs. There at the doorway stood Tonks, Lupin, Mr and Mrs Weasley, their swarm of redhead children and Hermione.  
"Harry! It's wonderful to see you again!" Mrs Weasley said pulling Harry into a vice-gripping hug.  
"Hello Harry! We thought it would be safer to come at night, less chance of being seen" Mr. Weasley smiled.  
"You all right Harry?" Hermione said flinging her arms around his neck.  
"Yeah, yeah Hermione I'm fine" Harry answered, releasing himself from her and smiling at the others.  
"Great to see ya mate" Ron beamed.  
"You too" Harry grinned.  
"Come on boy, hurry up and go!" Vernon spat, he, Aunt Petunia and Dudley were cowering in a corner.  
"Where's ya truck Harry? We'll get it" Ron asked.  
"Upstairs" he answered.  
With that Ron and Ginny headed upstairs.  
"We'll be flying Harry" Tonks said her hair an aqua colour and her nose very small.  
"Which I don't really like, especially when I'm doubling with Tonks" Hermione mumbled and Harry smiled at her.  
"Here we are" Ginny said as she and Ron reappeared carrying Harry's trunk.  
"OK let's go!" Lupin said.  
"Bye" Harry grumbled as he exited the Dursley's house.  
"All right. We'll have to double. Ron you take Ginny, Fred you go with George, Arthur and Molly, Harry, you and Hermione. Tonks you and I will ride on separate brooms and keep watch. OK let's go!" Lupin said breathlessly.  
Harry pulled out his Firebolt, gave Ron a weak smile and mounted.  
"I really don't like this" Hermione said nervously, biting her lower lip.  
"You'll be fine, trust me" Harry said and Hermione smiled nervously and joined his mount.  
"OK up and away!" Lupin called and all five brooms rose into the starry sky.  
"Oh!" Hermione's arms suddenly gripped tightly around Harry's waist as they flew higher.  
"Arh thanks for the ink and quills Hermione" Harry said trying to distract her from the hight.  
"It was nothing," she said shakily.  
"They looked expensive" Harry added.  
"Well, yeah they were but it's fine" Hermione said, "the question is are you?"  
Harry shifted his weight so he could get a better look at her "I told you I'm fine Hermione."  
"Whatever you say Harry, but whenever you need to talk Ron and I are here for you" she said.  
"Yeah I know," he answered.  
"Good" she smiled.  
"Here we are!" Mr Weasley called and they all lowered their brooms before landing with a thud on the dewy grass in front of the Weasley's house.  
"OK well, we'll head back now" Lupin said "nice to see you Harry, stay safe OK."  
"Sure" Harry answered dismounting, Hermione following.  
"You two keep him out of trouble" Lupin added to Ron and Hermione who were standing on either side of Harry.  
"We will" Hermione smiled patting Harry on shoulder and he smiled at her.  
"Yeah" Ron nodded.  
"Great!" Lupin said and he and Tonks flew off.  
"Come on children, bedtime!" Mrs Weasley called.  
"OK mum we're coming!" Ron answered.  
"Night Hermione" Harry called as he followed Ron upstairs.  
"Goodnight Harry. Ron" she called.  
"Night" Ron answered.  
Harry and Ron had just settled into bed when Mrs Weasley walked in.  
"Give me your school lists dears I'll get your things tomorrow" she said taking the pieces of parchment from the boys' hands and exiting the room.  
"Harry, Ron! Wake up boys! Dumbledore is here to see you!" Mrs Weasley called waking the boys. They dressed and ran downstairs.  
Hermione greeted them with a worried glimmer in her eyes.  
"Hello Harry" Dumbledore smiled his blue eyes sparkling through his half- moon spectacles.  
"Hello sir" Harry answered.  
"Well, I am here to speak to you three" Dumbledore acknowledged.  
Taking the hint, all the adults and other children left the room leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione completely alone with the headmaster of Hogwarts.  
"As you all know Voldemort has risen and you are all in danger."  
The three nodded.  
"Well, I have designed four mirrors, much like the two you and Sirius shared Harry" Dumbledore said softly.  
Hermione suddenly grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it that of which Harry was grateful for.  
"Except in these mirrors you can ask to see anyone. You three will each carry one and I will keep one."  
"So we can see if Voldemort. oh stop it Ron" Hermione scoffed as Ron made a whimpering sound, "has done anything to anyone."  
"Exactly Miss Granger" Dumbledore smiled and Hermione's fingernails began digging into Harry's palm.  
"Here you are" Dumbledore handed them each a silver mirror with small emeralds around the outside.  
"Thank you sir" Harry said.  
"Well, I must be off I shall see you at school, use them wisely" and with that he left leaving the three staring after him.  
"I'll make some breakfast" Mrs Weasley smiled as she re-entered the room.  
"Wow!" Ron gasped.  
"Yeah" Harry said in part agreement part relief as Hermione released his hand and he began rubbing it.  
"Sorry" she whispered.  
"That's OK" Harry said.  
"He must really want to protect us," Ron said.  
"Yes I guess so," Hermione nodded.  
"Breakfast!" came Mrs Weasley's voice.  
The whole household sat around the dining table all with ruffled hair and tired expression.  
As Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down MrsWeasley pilled their plates full of food.  
The conversation was about Hogwarts and Quidditch; it was obvious that Mrs Weasley had told her children not to ask any questions about Dumbledore's visit.  
Later that day Mrs Weasley and Ginny headed off to Diagon Alley, Harry and the Weasley boys played Quidditch and Hermione sat and read Hogwarts: A History for the hundredth time. 


	2. Back on The Hogwarts Express!

Later that day Mrs Weasley and Ginny headed off to Diagon Alley, Harry and the Weasley boys played Quidditch and Hermione sat and read Hogwarts: A History for the hundredth time.  
The rest of the summer went extremely fast soon it was the night before they all returned to Hogwarts, everyone was fed, packed and snuggled into bed.  
The next morning a frantic looking Mrs Weasley awaked Harry. He and Ron dressed sleepily and stumbled downstairs to breakfast. They were greeted by sleepy looking Weasleys and an anxious looking Hermione. He and Ron sat down, he smiled at Hermione who was watching him intensely and began shovelling down breakfast.  
An hour later they were all running through Kings Cross towards the wall between Platform 9 and 10.  
"All right Ginny, you first!" Mrs Weasley puffed.  
Ginny disappeared through the wall followed by Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Hermione and Harry.  
Saying goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley, the four students boarded the red Hogwarts Express engine.  
After waving goodbye to Mrs and Mr Weasley until they disappeared, Hermione gave Harry a small nudge in the back.  
"Come on let's get an empty compartment."  
They found one at the end of the train, after settling in and changing into their Hogwarts uniforms, Hermione rose from her seat, pulling Ron up with her.  
"We've got a Prefects meeting" Ron grumbled.  
"We'll try to get out of it early Harry" Hermione added.  
Ron looked shocked, "Hermione are you feeling all right?"  
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" She asked impatiently.  
"It's just, you never ever want to miss any part of a Prefects meeting!" Ron answered.  
"Oh, shut-up Ron!" Hermione snapped glaring at him, "let's just go! Bye Harry" she added flashing Harry a smile as she dragged Ron out of the compartment.  
Now Harry was completely alone, Ginny had gone to visit her boyfriend. So Harry decided to experiment with the Dumbledore's mirror.  
He pulled the silver, emerald-encrusted mirror and twisted it in his hand, then looked into the glass.  
"OK, here goes nothing, Ron!" He told the mirror.  
Almost immediately the glass fogged, then cleared and revealed a clear view of Ron, heading resting on his left hand, yawing sleepily and vaguely listening to the Head Boy and Girl.  
"Ron!" Came Hermione's hissing voice as she entered the picture nudging Ron and glaring at him fiercely as she rose from her chair.  
Harry chuckled, "clear" he told the mirror and it obeyed it returned to the state of a normal mirror.  
"Harry!" Hermione suddenly appeared at the door.  
"Hermione? Why aren't you at the Prefects meeting? And." He looked around, "where's Ron?"  
"Well, the Heads told me I could leave, but Ron had to stay because he hasn't been paying attention in past meetings" Hermione mumbled.  
"Yeah I know" Harry smiled.  
"How?" She asked taking a seat beside him.  
"Arh, this" he answered showing her the mirror.  
"Harry! You're not meant to use it unless it's an emergency!" Hermione said in her matter-of-fact tone.  
"Calm down Hermione! I was just testing it" Harry smiled.  
"Fine" she said.  
"Are you going to test yours?" Harry asked.  
"I.I will" Hermione answered biting her lower lip.  
"There's no need to be afraid Hermione" Harry said softly practically reading her mind.  
"I guess I just think if I don't use it, there will be no need to" Hermione said.  
"Hermione, no matter what you do, you will eventually have to use the mirror" Harry said, "and I'll always be here for you" he reassured her.  
"Thanks Harry"  
"Anytime Hermione" Harry said and they both smiled.  
"Oh, look the famous Harry Potter had replaced his ex with his Mudblood friend!" Came the fimilar cold, drawling voice.  
Draco Malfoy and his two goons Crabbe and Goyle stood at the compartment door smirking.  
"Shut-up Malfoy!" Hermione called jumping to her feet, wand in hand.  
"A shocked Harry, did as his friend hafd done, "now go!" he growled.  
A frightened looking Malfoy stumbled away his goons trailing him.  
"What was that all about?" Ron who had just entered the compartment asked.  
"Oh nothing, nothing at all" Harry said and he and Hermione exchanged amused smiles.  
"What?" Ron said looking from Harry to Hermione and back again.  
"Oh, just Malfoy being a git!" Harry answered.  
"And some double wand power, by the look of it!" Ron quoted seeing that both of his friends were replacing their wands into their robes.  
"Yeah, I guess" Hermione smiled sitting back down.  
"So, how was the meeting?" Harry asked, sitting next to Hermione.  
"As boring as ever!" Ron exclaimed.  
"Ron!" Hermione groaned. 


End file.
